A Stitch in Time by Amanda James
(Needler #1)
Genres: Romance, Adult, Time-Travel.
Publisher: Choc Lit

SYNOPSIS

A stitch in time saves nine… or does it? Sarah Yates is a thirty something history teacher, divorced, disillusioned and desperate to have more excitement in her life. Making all her dreams come true seems about as likely as climbing Everest in stilettos.

Then one evening the door bell rings and the handsome and mysterious John Needler brings more excitement than Sarah could ever have imagined. John wants Sarah to go back in time…

Sarah is whisked from the Sheffield Blitz to the suffragette movement in London to the Old American West, trying to make sure people find their happy endings. The only question is, will she ever be able to find hers

A Stitch in Time by Amanda James ~ 5 Stars.

When I heard that Choc Lit was going to be releasing a time-travelling story, I knew immediately that this would have to be bought and devoured within the space of a day. Indeed, by the end I was begging for more, and this begging was made all the more easy by the wonderful world of Twitter where I immediately rushed to ask whether there would be a second book. Fingers crossed!

A Stitch in Time is a wonderful story, not only giving us a unique and intriguing insight into different times of the past, but also representing a story of truth, forgiveness, loyalty and love.

The story of Time Needle’s and Stitches is brilliantly brought to life, and I love how Sarah doesn’t just accept this story when Time Needle John brings the news to her. I’ve read so many stories when a huge piece of very unrealistic news is thrown on them and they just accept it with a shrug, and then disappear on their journey. I love that Sarah acts like any sensible person and refuses to believe it, putting it down to hallucinations due to stress.

“A Stitch in time saves nine.”

John matter-of-factly rambles on about how, as a Stitch, she now has to save three people in different time periods, including a homesteader in the Old American West, someone in the Sheffield Blitz and a suffragette in the early twentieth century. By saving each of these three people, you are in essence saving nine because of their children and grandchildren technically being saved as well, hence the “A Stitch in time saves nine.” which was a brilliant use of the old saying.

“People in war time clothes with gas masks slung across their shoulders shopped, cycled, jumped on and off trams and generally went about their business.”

Sarah’s first travel is brilliantly written as she finds herself in 1940’s Sheffield. I suppose when you think of the War, you immediately think of sirens, screaming, terror filling everyone’s faces every minute of the day, but Amanda James beautifully creates the actual reality of a day during the war. It’s just another day. People are probably worrying about the little rations they have left for the week, or walking to the post office nervously hoping to have a letter from a relative who is at the front, but we see a Britain in which the English remain strong, and determined to fight their battle over here to show that Hitler has not won. There is something so heartbreaking, but beautiful about this introduction to the World War II chapter of the novel, and I feel incredibly sad knowing that this normality that these people on the street are striving for will soon disappear when bombs rain down on them that evening.

In this chapter, we see the English at their best.

“Where are you going Auntie Violet?”

Violet threw back over her shoulder, “I’m off to change my vest. If I’m going to be killed, I want to make sure I’m clean.”

The perfect example of English strength during the war. Propriety must be maintained even if you are going to die. Brilliant.

Sarah’s trip to Victorian London gives us wonderfully clear flashes of Victorian London through the brilliant descriptions given to us. I do love my Downton Abbey (Matthew Crawley *fans self*), but it was great to see a very different workforce in this depiction of the underbelly of the house. It is a great pleasure to read the goings on of the house and the disgust that is shown from both the owner of the house and its workers at the idea of educated maids. Although you’d expect the servants to be thrilled at the idea of people of their class having the chance to have a good education, we see a brilliant glimpse into how advantages such as education causes friction, most probably caused through jealousy between the under-educated servants.

Sarah’s mission to the ‘Old American West’ was cleverly during the locust infestation. I would like to thank Amanda James for creating this image so vividly in my mind I kept itching whilst I read, thinking I had something crawling over me. So thanks for that!

And last but definitely not least, the love story Amanda James created was beautiful and meaningful and will stay with me for a long time. The way they had to fight for each other was heartwarming.

Overall a brilliant, amazing, powerfully written book which had me both crying and laughing out loud in the space of one paragraph. John is immediately put onto my shelf of ‘Fictional Crushes’ which has been increasing rapidly since my discovery of ‘Choc Lit’ and their handsome hero’s. 5 stars and a definite recommended read. Trust me, you will NOT regret it!